The Fall
by RMC1
Summary: Castiel is new in town, staying with his older brother Gabriel after an unfortunate family dispute. Then he meets Dean, the kid who lives in the shoddy motel next-door,with the perfect car, imperfect family, and a laugh he can't get out of his head. All of a sudden, this new place doesn't seem quite so scary. He might even like it. A destiel High School au, fluffy as they come.
1. Chapter 1

**The Fall**

**Castiel:**

Gabriel's tan Pinmobile scraped against the curb as he parked it. Across the street was a shoddy three-story apartment complex with a sign stating proudly "Heaven Apartments," though to be perfectly honest, it seemed to Cas pretty far from heaven. Next door was a sleazy motel. They had parked the car in front of a vacant lot. There were a lot like it in this part of town, all bound up by tangled chain link fences and rusted "no trespassing" signs. Daisys grew from the rough gravel, some of which were choked out by clumps of thistle or fluffy yellow dandelions. Still, blooming from such an eyesore, the flowers were quite beautiful.

Cas forced a smile onto his face for the sake of his brother, but he knew how artificial it looked. Oh well, he thought, if Gabe could tell, at least he would know that Cas was trying. He didn't seem to notice, though, so it didn't matter.

Parked in the lot out front of the motel was the most interesting array of cars he'd almost ever seen. There was one car with two bashed in windows, one of which was covered in a tarp, the other with zebra duct tape, one sketchy white van, and a black one that was quite possibly the most beautiful car he'd ever seen. It looked old, but surprisingly well manicured for its age. He found himself unable to look away from it for some reason. Then, he realized that realized there were people inside, two of them, and that he had been staring.

One was a kid, scrawny, with long limbs and floppy brown hair. He seemed to be carrying a stack of thick books. Cas squinted to make out the other, but a moment later, he stepped out of the Car, and Castiel was able to get a good look at him.

He was tall, with short messy hair, and a vivid smile. Castiel wasn't very close to them, but he could see the smile on the older one's face. He looked like he might be the younger kid's brother. Castiel realized then that he was staring. Again. It was rude. He was about to drop his gaze when the older of the two waved in his direction. Cas froze. Was he waving for him?

Gabriel waved back, and Cas exhaled in relief. of course he wasn't waving to Cas, why would he be? He wasn't sure if he was ready to meet anyone new just yet, he was only just warming up to this place. Gabe shouted something, and the two across the street came bounding over.

When they finally came to a halt in front of Gabriel's beat up vehicle, Gabe introduced them. They were brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester.

"Nice to meet you," Said the younger brother politely, extending his hand. Cas shook it stiffly and nodded. Dean cocked one eyebrow and winked at Cas suggestively. Castiel lowered his gaze, clearly embarassed.

"I'm Dean," He said cockily. Cas did not reply, instead he went back to the car to get some of his stuff from the backseat. Gabriel and Dean contnued to chat each other up, and cas just pretended to be preoccupied with something in his brother's glove compartment.

The younger brother, Sam, or sammy as his brother called him affectionately kept tring to catch his eye. Cas elected to ignore it.

Once Castiel was sure that they had left, he went back over to Gabriel so that they could move things along.

"Can you unlock the trunk, my boxes are back there," Castiel said flatly.

"Sure thing little bro," Gabriel said, reaching again for his keys, "What do you think of the neighbors?" He asked. Cas shrugged passively, and Gabriel rolled his eyes. "I'll be sure to tell them that, I'm sure they'll be flattered," he added sarcastically as he opened the trunk.

"Thank you again, for taking me in Gabriel, I appreciate it." Castiel said sheepishly.

"Not a problem, dork," Gabriel replied lightheartedly, "And you can just call me Gabe, Gabriel sounds so stiff. No offense to you, but I prefer to keep the stick _out_ of my ass." He paused, expecting a laugh from his little brother at the poorly executed joke, but Cas didn't deliver. He shrugged it off, reaching into the back end of the car to pull out a few of Cas' boxes. There were only four of them, so it really didn't take too much effort.

"What's in here, anyway?" Gabe said, lifting up one unmarked box. The other three were marked; clothes, clothes, miscellaneous (which Castiel had taken the liberty to spell out as a whole, instead of using any abbreviations.)

Gabriel picked up the last of the Boxes and shook it, like a kid trying to decode a present before opening it on Christmas morning. It was very like him to make light of the situation, or any situation really, no matter how innapropriate. That was just how Gabriel dealt with things, and Cas didn't blame him. He only wished he could do so just as easily as his older brother. Still, he didn't want him breaking any of the contents of the box, so he stopped him.

"Please be careful with that, Gabriel," Catiel said firmly. Gabriel stopped shaking it and placed it carefully on the pavement, and a moment later, Cas picked it up defensively, putting it back with the others.

Gabriel led them to the Apartment building (Cas sighed in relief, even he didn't want to stay in the sleazy no-tell-motel next door, ) climbed the steps to the second story, and set the box he had been carrying on the stoop.

He motioned proudly to the door. "Welcome to casa Gabe!" The number on the door was sixty nine. Gabriel waggled his eyebrows proudly as Castiel put his hand to his face and sighed loudly.

"I spent three weeks looking for a decent apartment with this exact address," Gabriel stated proudly, "Not to say that this is necessarily decent." He brushed a cobweb from the crook of the door affectionately. Cas smiled his unconvincingly fake smile again and his brother nodded in response, reaching for his key ring.

It took them about five minutes to get all of Castiel's things into the apartment. Even though it was only a couple of boxes, they started to feel heavier after a few flights of stairs.

Once they had gotten all of his stuff up the stairs Gabriel paused to open the door for his brother. He motioned his little brother inside of the shoebox apartment, and left Cas to get settled. His room was one of the three in the house. In the center was a kitchen slash living room slash dining room. It didn't really seem quite big enough to serve all three purposes to their full extent, but Cas figured he could get along just fine with the way that things were here. On the left side was Gabriel's room and a messy bathroom. Lastly, was Castiel's bedroom (if you could even call it that.) The room itself was tiny.

It was roughly the size of a walk-in closet, with one scuffed wooden dresser, three wooden coat hooks that had been fixed to the wall, a dingy mirror, and one bare twin bed. Cas propped his boxes on top of the dresser and sunk onto the mattress, which squeaked dramatically the second he touched down on it. He inhaled sharply and buried his head in his hands.

How had he gotten to this point? He came from such a devout, close knit family. It had all happened so fast, but he could still pinpoint the exact moment when things went south. It was only a couple of weeks ago.

He wasn't the first of his siblings to get kicked out, but of any of them his offense was the least problematic. Thank God that Gabriel had been so readily available to take him in. His older brother Nick (this was his middle name; his first usually went unmentioned in their house) had offered to do so, but not before being arrested. Again. No doubt, Nick had been the first of the two to get kicked to the curb.

Castiel was the youngest of the six kids in his family.

At the age of twenty-five, the oldest was Michael. He was a straight laced, obedient, squeaky-clean son of a bitch. He did whatever he was told, no questions asked. This pissed most of them off pretty badly, but Castiel had always sort of looked up to him. He thought that his eldest brother had hung the moon, at least until recently.

_Funny how our idols are often the last people that they should be._ Castiel Thought bitterly.

Sure, Michael might have been Daddy's good little boy, but he really was a cold bastard when it came down to it.

Next was Nick. His real first name pretty much went entirely unspoken in the household, and with good reason. His parents were weird, and really had a thing for angels, and were sticklers for biblical detail, even if said angels were also the devil. From that information alone, you can probably guess his name already.

Funny enough, his hyper religious parents had no problem naming him after Satan, but never expected any repercussions for their poor choice in naming. Luckily, his middle name was Nickolas, so he chose to go by Nick. Still, Gabriel called him Luci with mock affection. Had it been anybody else doing so, they would have easily gotten a fist to the teeth, but before he got kicked out, he and Gabe had actually had a pretty great relationship. Cas wasn't sure just how many jail sentences he had served, but he knew that it was a fairly sizable number for a guy just clearing the age of twenty four.

After a while, Nick had gotten involved in some gang activity (and drug activity, the mafia, stealing, plus pretty much everything else of the like) and though it took time for their parents to catch on, they finally did. The whole family dispute had begun when he was first arrested for public indecency,

In the end, he really had put his name up to good use.

The third oldest was Rafael. He was twenty two. Cas really didn't have to much to say about him, he was pretty much a mini-Michael in training, stick up his ass and all. More than Michael though, he despised Castiel with a burning passion. Cas wasn't entirely sure why, but he'd kind of accepted it at that point.

Then Came Gabriel, twenty years old and carefree as the day he was born. He really wasn't much like his other siblings at all. He was more passive on any and all family issues, and wasted no time getting the hell out of there the second he had turned eighteen years old. Cas didn't blame him though, he had planned to do the same until just recently. He was into pranks, and tricks. He'd learned all of this from Nick, just before he'd gone down the wrong path. The two of them had really had a pretty close bond before it all went south, but it didn't last from that point on.

Lastly was Anna. She was newly eighteen, which made her a full year older than Castiel, a fiery redhead (dyed), and a little on the rebellious side. However, she was not in any way rebellious to the extent of her eldest brother, and thank goodness for it. Like Castiel, she had mostly stayed out of the way of their parents, save for a couple of arguments here and there. However, she hadn't been the one who had been disowned, so there was a difference.

Cas had always felt out of place with his family. From a young age, he had been peaceful and quiet. His favorite pastimes had been watching the bee's in their back yard garden and eating copious amounts of peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches.

He'd never really been the type to get into trouble before, until a nasty rumor began to spread around the school, one about him, and the worst thing about it was that he couldn't necessarily disprove it

The rumor varied from where you heard it, but there was alays one thing in common no matter who you asked. The rumor was as follows; Castiel was about as straight as a rainbow slinky. From a douche high schooler's standpoint, it was a pretty easy deduction. He wore all button downs, paired with black dress pants, ad the same blue tie, every day without fail. He didm't exactly fit the norm, but that in no way justified name calling.

From the second it began, the rumor spread like wildfire, and there was pretty much nothing he could do to prove otherwise. Cas didn't know if he was gay necessarily, but he sure as hell wasn't one hundred per-cent straight. Still, as Cas learned, gossipy teenagers don't take maybe as an answer. The last thing he wanted from the whole situation was more attention, but eventually, when the bullying escalated to a certain point, his parents were called in to speak with the counselor.

Now, his parent's were devout Catholics. No, they weren't the type to attend church every Sunday, they made a point to do it at least twice a week, if not more. Still, he thought that even if he was gay, his parents might learn to live wih it.

He really hadn't expected to be that wrong.

Cas shook his head and trying to forget the whole situation, and began to unpack his boxes. He was going to a new school tomorrow, a fresh start.

Who knew, maybe he could make a couple of friends, the kids next door did seem pretty nice.

Cas regretted thinking this when Gabriel popped hs head into the room a moment later.

"I got you a ride with the Winchesters for tomorrow if you're interested." Gabriel said cheerfully. Cas stomach flipped.

"Th-thank you," he stuttered in reply. That was the last thing he wanted. Gabriel nodded, as if congratulating himself on being such an efficient guardian and left the room.

Castiel had a lot of unpacking to do, he decided, it seemed about time he get started.

He opened one box. First came clothes, then the rest. He opened the last box (the unmarked one) last of all. It was mostly just a jumble of crap, all of which had some form of sentimental value to it. On the top of the pile was a photograph. It was a family photo, taken just before Nick had committed his first felony, back when they were really a family. Michael and Nick stood together, both smiling wide toothy grins. Rafael and Gabe stood next to them, along with Anna and Cas. Gabriel had one eyebrow raised defiantly as he stuck up two fingers like bunny ears behind Raphael's. It made Cas smile, for real this time.

It seemed funny just how much things could change in such a short time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Dean:**

The next morning, he rolled out of his bed half awake after a night of vivid nightmares that seemed further every moment he spent awake. It was just the same as every other night. The difference between those mornings, though, and this one was one thing. Today he and Sammy had school. He wasn't all that keen on going to school on any day, and to be honest, he was a lot more acquainted with school broom closets than with the classrooms, if you know what I mean. No, school really wasn't his thing, but he still had to drive Sammy. Now, it looked like he'd be bringing Gabriel's kid brother along too. Great.

Cas seemed kind of weird, truthfully, but in an endearing way. He seemed like more puzzle than person, there were so many stories behind his hard blue yes, Dean could tell. He knew the look; he saw it in the mirror every day. As the expression went, it takes one to know one. Cas looked to be about a year younger than him, which made him three older than Sammy, and three younger than his older brother.

Dean had known Gabe, for a couple weeks now, at least as long as he and Sammy had been staying at the crappy-ass motel. Gabriel seemed like a pretty good guy to be honest. He was a little bit of an oddball, but who was Dean to judge. Sam liked him a lot, though. That made Dean happy.

Sam was kind of a dork, so he didn't have many friends to speak of. Really, that wasn't so much of him being a bit on the nerdy side as it was the fact that him and Dean never stayed in one place for much more than a week or two. This town seemed to be good for him, though. He'd made a couple of friends already, a girl named Jessica (whom he had a massive crush on, and Dean didn't blame him, she was way out of his league) along with some scrawny kid named Garth who wore a lot of tasteless sweater vests.

Dean wished that he could stay here for a while, but he figured that his Dad would be back before long, and then they'd be off again. He hated that he had to live like this, but that was just the way that things were. He'd learned to suck it up and deal years ago, but he never liked it.

He glanced over at the plastic alarm clock. It was six fourty three. He still had two minutes before he had to wake up Sam for school He took a deep breath, and checked his phone nervously. No new calls, not a single one.

Damn.

Dean knew that his Dad's job was a demanding one, but one call to his kids wouldn't kill him. He knew that Sammy was getting worried, and so was he, to be perfectly honest. The food money had run out a week ago, and Dean was running on his own savings and stolen peanut butter from the convenience store a block down. He didn't like stealing, but if worst came to worst, it was pretty much his only option.

He didn't want to leave this town though. His uncle Bobby (not by blood, but God knows that doesn't matter) only lived a couple miles away. Maybe he could go and see him. He wouldn't be against sparing a little food, but asking might be more trouble than it was worth. Dean would have already gone to see him had it not been for a falling out he and their father had a couple of years ago.

That was a time in which the boys had gone to stay with Bobby (Sammy couldn't have been more than five) and their father hadn't shown up for a little bit longer than expected. Yeah, a little bit. That's how Dean had put it, but in actuality it had been almost a month. After a week past the planned date, Bobby had begun to come to terms with the fact that he might not be coming back. After three weeks, he'd had to tell the boys that their father might be dead.

Dean didn't cry, at least not when anyone could see. If his father had taught him anything, it was that weakness is a trait found only on the losing side. Sammy cried though, but only a little. After that he just clammed up, wouldn't say a word. Poor kid had already lost his mother, and he was only five years old.

When their dad did finally come home, he was about as sober as a sponge dipped in Jack Daniel's. He smelled like one too. Bobby had been livid. The two fought like caged animals for a good hour and a half. At one point, Dan had gotten between the two, got caught in the crossfire and ended up with a good smack to the face. I had been his father's hand that had made contact. At that moment the house had gone dead silent. You could have heard a pin drop.

"Get the hell off of my property," snarled Bobby.

"Not a problem," John said haughtily, wiping a droplet f blood from underneath his nose, "Sam, Dean." He motioned to his sons.

Sam stood firmly in place.

"It's okay Sammy," Dean coaxed, " You know I wont let anything happen to you. Not ever."

After that, Sam had walked cautiously, hand clasping Dean on their way out the door. Just before he got into the car, Bobby slipped a piece of paper into Dean's front pocket. John didn't notice.

"Take care of yourself, boy," Bobby Said.

"Yes sir," Dean said stiffly, and Bobby flinched at the formality of his words.

Later, as they were driving away from Bobby's Dean unfolded the paper and read it.

"For whenever you might need it," The note said, and then listed a phone number. Bobby's phone number. He had the number memorized by the end of the hour, and still did to this day.

Dean thought about calling it then.

He hadn't known at the time what exactly his father did, but by now, he was well familiarized. Drugs. After their Mom died, he'd really fallen off the wagon, gotten in with bad people, and started spending more time holed up in dark alleyways than he did with his kids. It sucked, but that's life. At least when he was off dealing, neither of them had to deal with him at home. He wasn't exactly a pleasure to be around. John Winchester was one hell of a mean drunk, which fit in nicely with his alcoholism.

At the thought of his father's drinking habit's Dean shuddered and looked protectively at his younger brother, who was still sound asleep.

He decided then that these were not the kinds of thoughts to properly start of the morning, so he went back to his usual ones. They were almost out of food. Dean grimaced at the growling of his stomach. It looked like today would be a long day, and one without breakfast.

He set Sam's breakfast on the table, and neglected the fact that he was skipping his own.

It was at that time that the phone rang. That would be the wakeup call he had ordered. He'd mostly gotten it because the lady at the counter was hot as hell. Sam moaned and covered his head with the pillow. Dean snatched it away, much to Sam's dismay.

"Rise and shine Sammy!" Dean said cheerfully. Sam replied with a deep yawn.

"Come on, Sammy, don't be like that." Dean teased, "We've got places to be."

Sam rolled off of the Bed and onto the floor dramatically. "What's for breakfast?"

"Peanut butter," Dean answered.

"Brain food." Sam said groggily.

"Not that you need any of that, nerd." Dean said with a laugh

They managed to get out of the door only fifteen minutes later, but not after a few mishaps. Sam had somehow managed to put on two plaid shirts in place of one, which made Dean laugh like a maniac for a good three minutes before he could correct him. Sam and plaid was a match made in Heaven.

Eventually, Sam told his brother to shut up, and Dean obliged. To be fair, it was pretty damn funny. Sam just shrugged it off and continued packing up all of his massive textbooks. Sam might be tiny (Dean was happy about that, he liked being the taller one), but he was going to end up absolutely ripped from all of the text book lifting he did. Most of the books weren't even school requirement. The calculus one, along with a couple others, Sam read for pleasure.

Once they finally managed to get out of the door, Dean remembered that he still had to pick up Gabe's waited for him for a good ten minutes before Dean finally sent Sam up to see if he was even coming.

When Sam got back (without Cas)Sam just shrugged, "Gabe said that he already left."

**Castiel: **

Gabriel woke him up with a squirt gun. Cas was used to the irritating blare of an alarm clock, but this was a whole other animal. If he had forgotten which brother he had chosen to stay with, this was his reminder.

The second that the ice cold water splashed on his face, Castiel was wide awake. Well, even if it wasn't the kindest way to wake him up, it sure was efficient. For a moment, he thought of when he was a kid, back before any of this mess began.

When they were kids, Gabriel always woke up early just so he could wake up everyone else. No one was spared, not Michael, not their parents, not anyone. One of his favorite tricks was the joy buzzer. He had owned at least six or seven of them, and used them like they were going out of style. Another of his personal favorites was the bowlful of warm water trick. He used this one pretty frequently, mostly on Rafael. The two never had gotten along, and Gabriel felt no shame in showing it. Castiel was his next favorite victim for this one though. For almost two years of his childhood, Castiel's parents had thought that he was a bed-wetter. But this, the half frozen water pistol was Gabriel's signature.

Cas would have felt grateful for the little ouch of home, just maybe not this early, and not on his first day of school.

_Crap_, he thought, _school._

Castiel was a smart kid, but he hated School with a burning passion. Exams were the least of his worries, though. At his last school, he had made a choice couple of friends, mostly nerds like him, but that was better than nothing. After the rumor got out though, even they abandoned him. He didn't blame them; no one needed that type of rep around them, even if they only earned it from a friend. Cas wished that he could just brush it off like all of them did, and he would have if it wasn't him that the rumor was centered around.

He looked out the window. His eyes went immediately to the car. Its black glossy finish reflected the morning light like a hunk of raw obsidian. Cas wasn't really a car guy, unlike one of his Dad's army veteran friends, who owned a well-polished red mustang. It didn't take a car guy to love that car, though, and he bet that dean did too. Castiel wondered what it would be like to ride in. If the interior was anything like the outside, it would surely be absolutely fantastic.

He stopped this thought short. No, he would not ride in dean's shiny car, nor would he take the ride to school that he had been offered. Gabriel had shown him the way to the school on their way into town. He could walk. Cas felt guilty at the consideration of ditching Sam and Dean, because they really did seem like nice guys. That was the reason why he was doing it in the first place, though.

He didn't want Sam or Dean caught up in his reputation. Just like his old friends had, they would only end up leaving him. He didn't want that, not this time.

Cas went to go have his breakfast, which consisted of two peanut butter and grape Jelly (not jam, jam he found unsettling) sandwiches. Gabe had tried to set one out for him, but the industrial-sized bowl of skittles Gabriel had placed just didn't seem all that apetizing. Gabriel made no further move to contact him that morning. After the whole squirt gun thing, Gabe had just gone back to bed. Cas thought about getting him back for the rude awakening, but he didn't really know how to top it, so he didn't bother.

After breakfast, Cas went to get dressed. He pulled out his usual ensemble, complete with his signature blue tie. He'd never really been able to tie it quite right, but that didn't stop him from wearing it pretty much every single day without fail.

He had first taken a shine to the tie when he was around eight years old. Nick had been suiting up for Sunday mass, when he'd given the tie to Cas. He didn't want to wear it, but had noticed Cas eyeing it a couple days earlier. Neither of them really knew how to tie it though, so they asked Michael to do it. He then went on to proudly show it off to the entire congregation that morning, stopping only after Rafael told him that he looked stupid. Still, he was proud of it, no matter what his jerky older brother said.

Cas made it out the door a few minutes earlier than he expected, and started down the route to school. After a while, he realized that it was further than he had originally thought. He didn't want to be late to school his first day, but that was shaping up to be the way things were today. Castiel nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the car horn behind him.

_And that would be my ride, _Cas thought to himself.

Sure enough, when he turned around, there was Dean, driving that sleek black car with a look on his face closely resembling that of a scolding parent. He waved sarcastically at Cas, who then proceeded to climb sheepishly into the shotgun seat.

"Hi!" Said Sam enthusiastically from the back seat. He didn't look up from the massive pile of books on the seat next to him, one of which was propped open to the first page.

"Hello." Cas said dryly.

"How you doin' Cas?" Dean asked with mock enthusiasm.

"If you don't mind, my name is Castiel, three syllables." Cas retorted.

"Sure thing Cas," Dean said with a cocky smile. Cas rolled his eyes, and In response, Dean winked and turned up his music.

Cas found Dean's music obnoxious. It wasn't so much the music as it was his habit to airdrum against the steering wheel and roof of the Car. Every time he let go of the steering wheel to play along to another drum solo, he was met with a raging bitch-face from the back seat and protests from Cas. All he did was laugh it off though, and after a couple times, Cas found himself laughing along. He hadn't laughed like this in a long time, and it was a welcome change.

Dean had a wonderful laugh. It moved his whole body, and made his spring green eyes light up like the stars. They reminded Cas of a pair of frosted over Christmas lights, the day you decide to take them down. That was the thing about Christmas lights though, even after you decide to take them down, you can never quite bring yourself to do it, the lights are just too precious to extinguish. Cas felt like this whenever he was around Dean, he discovered, too dim next to someone so bright. He knew that this should make him feel inferior but it didn't. It made him feel incredible.

Cas decided then that he liked Dean, and he wanted to be friends with him. He'd try not to screw it up this time. Just moments after he reached this conclusion, they arrived at school.


	3. Chapter 3

**Castiel:**

The moment they pulled up to the school Cas' stomach sunk. It was packed. He wasn't sure if he'd ever seen this many people in one place. The courtyard was swimming in towering seniors and bubbling freshman. He spotted Sam, who was chatting it up with a blonde girl, and a guy so skinny that when he turned sideways, you could hardly see him. Castiel wasn't sure where Dean was, but he wished he did, it might have been nice to start out with an ally. It would be a welcome change of pace.

Cas liked Dean, a lot. Overall, he was just a cool guy. He wondered if Dean liked him. Realistically, Castiel thought to himself, the answer was no. Cas wasn't really a cool guy. He was a nerd, and not the hot chick in a pair of ill-fitted (undoubtedly non-prescription) glasses type, the real type. He voluntarily wore a tie ever day, for Christ's sake, and he couldn't even manage to tie it right.

The last school he had attended was a tiny hyper-catholic type school. He hadn't actually been anticipating such an atmospheric change so quickly. To be perfectly honest, it seemed like a good thing to him. In a place this big, he could hardly be the center of attention, no matter how negative said attention might be.

Just as he thought this he was knocked to the ground. He winced in pain, but stumbled to his feet regardless. That one would leave a mark, that was for sure. He got a look at the person who he had stumbled over. She was small with raven hair, clad in leather and a scowl.

"What the hell was that?" She snapped.

"Rude for one thing," Castiel muttered. A redheaded girl standing a few yards away put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

The girl stepped closer to Cas, staring coldly into his eyes. "Step off, short bus."

Cas looked quickly down to his feet, "I don't appear to be standing on anything." He said bluntly.

She went one step closer to Castiel, shooting him a glare that could have melted Ice, "Smart ass," She spat. Another girl came then, equally mean looking.

Just then, someone familiar stepped between them. It was Dean. "Easy Ruby, Meg" he coaxed, motioning to the second girl "Wouldn't want to start anything, would we."

She glared back at him with the same cold stare she had earlier directed at Cas, but instead of saying anything, she just sashayed off, the click of Meg's high heeled boots fading into the white noise of the crowd.

The girl was named Ruby, Dean told him. "Her bite is a hell of a lot worse than her bark," Dean explained, "You shouldn't get involved with her, or her sister, Meg, they're trouble, and not the good kind." He shot a protective look across the courtyard to his younger brother. He was still with the blonde girl, who Cas noticed was very pretty. Soon after, the kids began filing inside, and Cas looked at his schedule.

His first class was a Math course. Cas was actually pretty good at math, but this was just a standard Junior course, not honors like he usually took. He saw immediately that both of the Winchester boys were in the class. He was surprised; this class was at least two levels ahead of Sam, and one below Dean.

One of the seats next to Dean was filled by a blonde girl, who kept trying to catch his eye. Cas noted that there were many girls who wanted a piece of Dean. This blonde girl was no exception. She twirled her hair coyly around her finger. For a moment, she and Cas made eye contact. The girl took this moment to probe him very thoroughly with her gaze. She then winked at him with one poorly lined eye, causing Cas to immediately blush cherry red. Without even looking up, Dean snickered. There it was again, that laugh. Cas blushed one shade deeper, which only made Dean laugh a bit harder, until he bent over slightly in his seat.

Without giving the girl a moment's attention, Dean turned to Cas, who's face was still roughly the color of a stop sign, "You ain't got no game son," He said.

Cas spent the rest of the class actively trying not to look at Dean. He certainly wasn't making it easy. Dean had his feet up on the desk, and his head tilted back in exaggerated boredom. A moment later, he sat upright and went to pull something out of the duffel bag he kept propped against the leg of his chair. He pulled out a half eaten tin full of pie, and a bent plastic fork..

"Where did you get that?" Cas mouthed.

"Found it," Dean said full volume, "I don't think it's drugged." He took another bite, "could be though." He said with a shrug. The teacher turned around and Dean waved enthusiastically. Cas rolled his eyes.

Sam on the other hand had two books open on his desk. He was staring at them in the way most people would associate in the watching eye of a parent to their firstborn. Where did he get the two books anyway? No one else in the class even had one. As far as Cas could tell, all of the textbooks were stowed on a bookshelf on the front of the classroom. His books didn't even look like the ones in the case anyway.

After the class had ended the teacher looked exhausted. "Good work Sam! Glad to see someone finally getting interested. You're shaping up to be quite the mathlete." Sam, beamed at her words.

Dean tried to slink out the door while the teacher was still focused on his brother, but to no avail. "Mr. Winchester, I'm not done with you." Dean swerved back around, a winning smile plastered on his face.

"Pie? Again?" She asked, in clear exasperation. Dean shrugged, keeping the same boyish smile as he sashayed out of the door. The teacher nodded to Cas and he walked out the door after Dean.

Just before he disappeared down the hallway, Dean muttered to himself, "Love me some pie," and Cas couldn't help but smile.

His next class was without a single familiar face; tech. He sat next to a redheaded girl in a star wars t-shirt. She was happily typing code into the outdated computer. She turned to Cas and waved.

"I'm Charlie," She whispered.

The teacher walked in then. Mr. Roman was his name. He pulled out a projector and blew a cloud of dust from the lense. He hooked the projector up to his own computer and pulled up a tab of exel. Castiel slumped back into his seat, gearing up for a boring lesson.

The redheaded girl rolled her eyes and minimized the coding tab as Mr. Roman walked by. Charlie giggled. Again, she pulled up the code, pressed a couple of keys and suddenly, the tab on his computer changed. Cas wasn't entirely sure how she did it, but Charlie had managed to pull up his internet history for all of them to see.

It was full of unsavory search terms, namely that of a website so flatteringly titled, "Bust Asian ." He had a platinum membership.

For a moment, you could have heard a pin drop before the class burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. Casually, Charlie sat back in her chair and opened up a book as Mr. Roman fumbled to close the tab. Cas couldn't help but join them as Mr. Roman kept desperately clicking at the red x at the top of the page, only to have the same page pop up again and again.

Thirty minutes of hysteria later, the class had ended. It was lunch period. Charlie approached him in the hallway. She asked him if he would have lunch with them. Castiel nodded sheepishly in response. Charlie smile, "So shy," She crooned, ruffling his messy black hair, "Its adorable."

He found her and her friends under one of the trees in the courtyard at lunch. She sat with mostly nerdy types, even Sam was there.

Castiel was introduced to everyone.

"Kevin Tran, advanced placement." Said a short Asian kid.

"Dorothy," said the girl sitting next to him, "Like the book."

"Garth Fitzgerald, the fourth," said the skinny kid that Sam had been talking to earlier.

"You know me," Said Sam, directing attention to the blonde girl beside him.

"Jessica Moore." Said the girl whom Sam had been staring at the entire conversation, "But you can call me Jess."

Out of nowhere came Dean, two detention slips poking out of his pocket, and the same pie tin from math class cradled in the crook of his arm. It seemed that he had missed all but a few of the introductions. Stil, e smiled brightly and made his own.

"Dean Winchester. Middle name: Danger. I'm an Aquarius, I enjoy sunsets, _long walks on the beach_ and frisky women. ..." Dean said, sitting casually next to Charlie. Sam rolled his eyes and went back to conversation with Jess, "What did I miss?"

God, Cas couldn't quite decide if Dean were charming or a raging megalomaniac. Either way, he sure was entertaining.

"Not much," said Charlie, "This is Cas."

"I'm acquainted," said Dean, waving toCas before turning his attention to Charlie again. "Did you do the coding thingy?" He asked her.

"Mhm," She replied proudly.

The rest of the lunch went off without a hitch. Dean gave Sam the rest of the pie. He still wasn't entirely clear on where Dean had gotten it, but Castiel didn't really feel the need to ask, figuring that asking might be more trouble than it was worth.

His next class was AP World History. He saw Kevin in the class. Cas wasn't surprised, though. It was an Advanced Placement class after all, and that _was _how he introduced himself. The class itself was pretty good though, it was taught by some old nutty guy named Rufus who spoke very loudly and seemed to be drunk.

Next was Comparative Religion. This had always been his best class. He'd had religion forced down his throat pretty much since the day he was born, when his parents had named him after some low level angel. The entire class consisted of him mentally correcting he teacher as she consistently managed to misquote every single thing to the point where even the sound of her voice began to grate on his nerves. For a while he wondered if this was some kind of test, but it became apparent that she didn't have a clue what she was saying. Typical.

He was glad at that point that the school day had ended. Still he had the daunting task of finding Sam and Dean again so that he could have a ride home. He had been perfectly content to walk to school, but after today, he wasn't sure if he could really find satisfaction in solitude the way he used to.

To be truthful, he liked Sam, he liked Charlie, he liked Jess and Kevin and Garth, he liked all of them, and for the first time, he didn't want to shut them out. More than all of them though, he liked Dean. Castiel liked the way he laughed, the sound of his voice, and the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he gave that toothy grin of his.

Cas walked towards the alley behind that school, still searching for dean's car, or any sign of the guy himself.

**Sam:**

Sam walked down to the courtyard again after school. He was halfway down when he bumped into someone he hadn't seen in a while. It was Meg Masters. He swerved to avoid her, but she just kept following him.

Now, Meg and her sister, Ruby had hated the Winchester's ever since their father (Mr. Masters) had been arrested for his drug affiliations. His dealer was none other than the boy's father himself. It was his own fault, though. He'd been careless, dealing to kids, and he'd gotten caught. Meg blamed John, as she probably should have, but she took it out on Sam and Dean. A few Days back, Dean had caught her and Ruby roughing it up with Sam, and Dean had been none too happy.

"What do you want?" Sam asked abruptly, turning to face her.

"Ruby and I just came to chat, Sammy," She motioned to Ruby, who smiled coldly in his direction, "Come on," Meg continued

"Bite me." Sam said sharply.

"Tempting," Said ruby, flicking a strand of her dark locks from her face, "But we have other things in mind."

**Castiel:**

He couldn't find Dean anywhere. Maybe Dean had the Car in the alley. It seemed like a long shot, but Cas figured he might as well check.

Cas didn't didn't find the car. The alley was all but empty. A little further down, he could see three figures. One was a boy, younger, he looked familiar.

Sam. The boy was Sam. He walked a bit closer, and once they came in to his line of sight, he could identify the other two figures. Meg and Ruby. Meg had Sam by his floppy brown hair, and Ruby struck him across the face. They were yelling, but Cas couldn't quite make out the words.

He knew he had to do something, but he wasn't sure what. He could get Dean. But, then again, if he couldn't find him before, how would he be able to now. Instead, he just walked faster. His walk turned into a run as Ruby raised her fist. He could see the tears on Sams face as he flinched away.

Before he knew what he was doing, Castiel had pulled Sam out of their grasp. Now their focus was on him as Sam shrunk away.

"Who the _hell_ do you think you are?!" Meg demanded.

Cas was about to answer when he saw that the alley was no longer empty as it had been a moment ago.

Cas turned to Sam, "Get Dean," He said quickly. Sam began to run down the alley, and a moment later, he was no longer visible.

There were others, eying him hungrily, like circling sharks, smelling blood. Every one of them had at least three inches on Cas. If there was to be a fight, and it looked like there was, it wouldn't be even.

Meg smirked. "You think we'd come alone?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Castiel: **

Cas was surrounded, no way out. The two girls smirked maliciously in his direction. He could feel their red hot stare burning into him, like a pair of hawks staring down a sparrow as they circled overhead. Castiel could tell that he was outnumbered, and not just by a few. He tried to bolt, to get the hell out of there, get back to Sam and find Dean, but it was a futile effort. Ruby pinned him to the rough brick wall of the school and he didn't resist her grasp, knowing that it would only worsen the situation at hand. She smiled like a kid at Christmas, then leaned closer, taking it all in, grin widening for moment .She released the arm she had been pinning him with, like a zoo keeper, tossing a steak into the lion cage.

"Have at him," She said in an almost playful tone. Cas braced himself, he knew how to take a beating, but it was never easy. The way things were shaping up to be at this point, it was going to be bad.

Meg strutted forward, eager to deliver the first blow. The rest looked on, waiting to see her strike. She knocked him to the ground with one closed fist, then had at him with the heel of her studded high heeled boots. He could feel the little metal posts that ran along the side of her shoes dig into his skin.

He was sent reeling from the pain, as he pressed one hand to his now bleeding cheek. They were no more than cat scratches, but one had really sunken in there, and he was bleeding a fair amount. Still, he knew he had more hits coming. The two girls backed off, inviting some of the rest to have their turn. Evidently, there was plenty of him to go around.

Castiel didn't recognize a single one of them. They came at him one at a time. First, came a red-haired girl. She sported mainly leather clothing (like Meg and Ruby) with a graphic tee shirt underneath. To top it off, she wore a pair of old fashioned pearl earrings, and a fresh coat of red lipstick smeared over her pouty her lips. Her face was lovely but twisted in sadistic anger.

She hit him plenty, but more than that, she mocked him. It seemed that she in particular had a bone to pick with the Winchesters, and seemed to have no problem expressing that to him, using both words and fists.

The next guy was actually a fair amount smaller than Castiel, but far stockier in stature. Unlike the previous girl, he was less bark and more bite. He wore all black, slacks and a button down, with a gruff British accent. The guy didn't really seem to have anything against the brothers, or Cas, it just seemed that he liked to beat people up. Other than that, he and the read head girl seemed to have some tension, but Cas didn't find it particularly pertinent to his own situation. The two of them were bad enough, on their own.

As more and more had their way with him, the more he noticed something strange. One of them was holding off. Not that he seemed to be on Castiel's side, because if he was, he wouldn't just be standing idly by as Cas got his brains bashed in. There was some other reason.

He could see the way that all of the other kids were eying this last kid. They were watching him in anticipation. He was tall and lean, definitely the tallest of the group, and certainly one of the most menacing in looks. His nose was hooked and there was blood on the cuff of his shirt. It didn't belong to Cas, though, and that scared him more than anything.

Whose was it? Did he want to know? Most likely, the answer was no.

He waited until the tall boy was the last one left in the group who had yet to take his turn with Cas. There was only one of them left, and he prayed to god that Sam wouldn't take much longer. Castiel knew the severity of his situation. One of his molars was chipped; he had a deep cut across his cheekbone from the heel of Meg's shoe, and with that added to the steady flow out of his nose, he really was losing a lot of blood. Cas could see it pooling between the crevices of the pavement, shining like liquid garnet as it ran in thin droplets. He was okay, though. He could take this, but not much more.

The last boy sauntered toward him, cracking his knuckles as he walked along the bloodied cement.

"Don't let him off too easy, Alastair." The girl with the lipstick said affectionately.

"Don't worry sweet cheeks, mercy isn't really my style." He replied, smiling back at her.

Cas cringed. There was something in his eyes, something cold and unforgiving, yet giddy with a macabre childlike glee. It unsettled him.

It took only moments to see why of all these people, they'd wanted him to go last. As they say, you always save the best for last. Just moments ago, Cas had believed that he would make it out of the scuffle more or less intact. Now, he knew that this was pitifully incorrect.

This guy, Alastair, he knew how to throw a punch. He struck like a rattle snake, quick and precise. Cas was almost positive that he'd broken something, and let out a whimper. He could see a filmy blackness gathering at the corners of his vision, and as a last defense, he raised his shaking hands. Alistair just laughed.

It was then that he heard it. His hearing was fuzzy as he lay against the cold pavement, but he heard it. It was a familiar noise, but for a moment, he couldn't place it. Then, there was the revving of an engine, loud and like the purr of some giant beast.

The Impala.

**Dean: **

This was where Sam had pointed him; the back alley. He drove down swiftly, stopping only when he saw a swarm of people, circling like hawks around a single source. Dean knew the group. It was Meg and Ruby's gang. Most of them scattered when they saw his car, but a handful stayed, only a few people. They stood in a tightly packed little circle, all craning their necks to see. Ruby and Meg stood back, leaning casually against the wall.

They had been starting fights with the Winchesters ever since they came to this school. Dean knew it was their Dad's fault, but still, him and Sammy were the ones who got the punishment, so in the end, it was really their problem. It wasn't Cas' problem though. He hadn't done anything. Still, he'd stood up for Sam, which in their eyes made him public enemy number one.

Dean couldn't see him in the crowd, he couldn't see him at all, actually. That wasn't a good sign. He drove up to the smaller, more tightly packed crowd. Most of the others cleared when they saw the vehicle, Ruby and Meg along with them. Right now, he just needed to find Cas. He could deal with the Masters' girls later. Dean revved the engine of the impala. The crowd went dead silent as each of their heads snapped around towards him. All except one. He knew who it was.

Alastair.

Now, Ruby and Meg had the nerve to screw with Sammy, but only Alastair had the nerve to try it on him. Dean knew his way around a punching bag, he'd been one for most of his life, and between his father's blows, he'd learned a thing or two. He gave a nod to Sam, who nodded back timidly, and stepped out of the car.

Dean had really torn Alastair a new one last time they'd to crossed paths, and he knew that the guy would be wanting a rematch. The rest of the people began to back off then, slowly, as if they didn't want him to see them. Dean didn't mind, he had other things to wrap up here.

He saw Cas, crumpled against the pavement. Damn, that was a lot of blood. Dean could feel a cloud of rage building in his stomach. He'd only met the kid yesterday, but he'd liked the little guy, a lot actually.

"Nice to see you dean," Alastair said casually, wiping a bead of blood from where it had splattered on his fist, "But as you can see," He motioned to Cas, "I'm a little busy."

"Like hell you are," Dean said, his lip curling in anger.

"Like hell I _am_." Alastair replied whimsically. He turned his back to Dean and gave Cas another kick to the stomach. Cas curled against the pain without so much as a whimper.

Dean grabbed his shoulder, pulling Alastair around to face him. Before he could open his smug little mouth to speak again, Dean threw the first punch. He hit him square in his angular jaw.

Just seconds later, Dean had him pinned against the coarse brick wall.

"Stay in the car, Sammy," He yelled over to his little brother. Alastair fought back like a cornered animal, but he couldn't match Dean. Dean caught one good blow to the brow, but that was all. He'd given more blows than received. Alastair winced in pain before spitting a tooth to the ground. It looked like a molar, but Dean couldn't be sure. He stepped back, scowling fiercely.

"Point taken," Alastair said, "Have fun putting humpty back together again." He stalked back down the alley, dragging one foot behind him in an obvious limp. On any other day, he would have tailed Alistair, left him so the sorry son of a bitch couldn't even limp his way ho, but today he had other things to worry about.

Dean turned around to Cas, "You okay?" He said. No response, "Cas?"

He raised his head tiredly, and looked up at Dean. His eyes were blurry, so he tried to focus on Deans. _Like Christmas lights. _He thought to himself, while trying to get up. Dean reached out his hand to pull Cas up, but Castiel just wanted to do this for himself. It took a bit more effort than anticipated.

Cas stood up shakily, leaning against the wall for support, "I guess you showed him," Cas said in response. _Damn_, Dean thought, _he sure wasn't looking his best, and he isn't exactly an ugly duckling to start out with._ He had one hell of a gash across his face, a broken nose, puffy eye, and what looked like a broken hand. There was blood absolutely everywhere, and Dean hadn't seen that much of it in a long time.

Cas slumped against the wall again with a moan of pain before collapsing onto the pavement. Dean rushed over, calling Sam out of the Car. They propped him up on their shoulders and half-carried half-dragged him into the backseat. Cas covered his face with his hand and coughed. When he brought it down, Dean could see blood spattered across palm.

"Sam, call Bobby." He ordered.

"Bobby? What about Gabriel?" Sam asked.

"Please Sam, Just do it. The number is in my phone." Dean replied, tossing his phone up to Sam, who began dialing. "Its on the contacts, Sam."

Sam nodded passively "I memorized the number." As he later explained, Sam had been given the number as well, it was the second one he ever learned, that and nine-one-one. Unlike Dean, he'd actually called it once in a while.

After a few tries, they finally got Bobby. on the phone. "Dean?" Bobby answered.

"Yeah, we're on our way over, it's an emergency." Dean said, and without pause, hung up the phone. Sam raised one eyebrow.

"Drive!" Dean yelled, and Sam pushed the accelerator. Earlier that year, Dean had taught Sam to drive. It _was _highly illegal, but Dean had other highly illegal things to worry about then, and Cas to worry about now.

Dean had no clue what to do with Castiel. It was at least twenty five minutes to Bobby's house, if not more with Sam at the wheel. He knew that once they got to Bobby's he could help. God knows he couldn't go to his dad.

Dean took off the top flannel layer of his clothes and pressed it to Cas' nose, which was bleeding profusely. It was definitely broken, but it didn't seem too crooked, but it was crazy swollen. Cas winced, but smiled half-heartedly at Dean for his efforts. He tried not to let Dean see that he was crying, but mixed in with all of the other mess on his face, he didn't think to would be to obvious. Dean saw, and it broke his heart.

About halfway through the drive, Cas passed out. Dean still had no idea what in the hell he was doing, so he just told Sam to drive faster. He propped Cas' head up against his shoulder and took a look at his injuries. The hand was definitely broken, as was the nose, and maybe a rib as well, judging by the way he cried out when then went to move him. It was pretty bad. In one last act of desperation, Dean grabbed his hand and held on tight.

"Come on man, just a few more minutes." He said under his breath.

**Castiel:**

When Dean held his hand, Cas couldn't feel anything else. Not the other hand, not his nose, not the gash from Meg's boot, not anything. All he heard was a beatles song playing on loop in the back of his mind.

"Yeah you, got that something  
I think you'll understand  
When I feel that something  
I wanna hold your hand"

Sam hit a bump in the road then, and the pain came back all at once. Cas breathed in sharply. He leaned his head on Deans shoulder, repeating the song in his head over and over, trying now to remember the words. He could feel tears streaming down his face now, though his eyes were clamped shut. Castiel's grip tightened on Dean's hand. He didn't want to let go. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Castiel:**

He drifted in and out of consciousness, sifting through a stream of disconnected images. They were at someone's house. Cas wasn't entirely sure whose. An old army medic, an old friend, their father's friend, maybe. Gabe showed up a little while later, or was it his dad? No, it wouldn't be him. It was just Gabriel.

His brain was fuzzy and his skull was sore after sustaining what was most likely one too many blows to the head. He couldn't feel much at this point, just a couple of things here and there. The pain he felt was dull, though he knew it shouldn't have been. His nose was broken, so was his hand, and maybe a rib. Still, the pain was distant, as if it was not his own, but someone else's, and he was simply overhead watching it all take place. He knew one thing though, clear as day.

Dean was holding his hand.

Cas could feel that. It would have taken a hell of a lot more hits for him not to feel it. He hoped that the rest of them couldn't see the flush of his cheeks but Cas was pretty sure that his nose was bleeding profusely enough to cover it. Something about it reminded him of being a kid again. Maybe it was the simplicity, which would make sense. There was something very pure about Dean. It wasn't the most apparent thing about him, not at all, but after a while it became obvious. Dean drank, maybe smoked, he picked fights and womanized and he pretty much took the cake for screwiest childhood, but he was still good. Cas had never met anyone like that,

Maybe that wasn't it though, maybe it was something else entirely. For the first time in a long time, years even, he felt protected.

Castiel felt safe with Dean.

**Dean:**

Dean would be the first to admit, Cas wasn't exactly looking his best at the moment. By the time that the three of them had made it to Bobby's house, the guy had pretty much destroyed the impala's upholstery. At the moment, though, the stained leather had hardly been his top priority, which was saying a lot, he loved his car like one would love their own child.

Bobby was at the door only seconds after they knocked almost as if he had been waiting for them to come back all along. It would have been a comforting thought had circumstances been different. The second he saw Cas, his face drained of all color. Sam explained that it wasn't a homicide, and once he had, Bobby made a beeline for his old medical kit.

It took a good solid forty five minutes for them to get Cas all patched up, and half way through, Sam had gone to get Gabriel. The brothers had expected for Gabe to be a bit more alarmed to see Cas looking like he'd been tossed in a wood chipper, but he mostly just looked sad. Thank god for Bobby, though. Dean knew that he was the right person to call; he just wished he'd done it sooner.

"How'd this happen anyhow, boys?" Bobby asked once Cas seemed to be all in one piece again.

"Some kids at school have a bone to pick with Sammy and me, Cas stuck up for Sam and got his face punched in." Dean said.

Sam opened his mouth to speak and Dean cut him off, "This isn't about him, he shouldn't have gotten involved."

"Looks like that's how it ended up, though." Gabriel said, "Hate to say it isn't the first time."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"He didn't transfer schools for fun, Samsquatch."Gabriel said.

"Oh." Sam said quietly.

"Assholes are as commonplace as table salt." He continued, "Some kid started spreading rumors and Cas got caught in the crossfire. After a while, Dad kicked him out, and that's how he ended up here."

"Speaking of, Dean," Bobby asked, "Where's _your_ dad in all this?"

Dean didn't answer, but Bobby understood anyway. It didn't exactly take rocket science to see that Daddy Winchester wasn't in the picture at the moment.

"You boy's can wait out the night here." Bobby said, "The kid's gonna be fine, give him a day or two."

"I think Cas and I could use a ride back actually." Gabriel interjected.

"Sure. I can drive!" said Sam, grabbing the keys off of the table.

"Not legally you can't" Dean said, snatching his key ring away from Sam. "You can stay here; I'll be back in a bit."

Gabe and Dean dragged Cas back to the impala, stuffing him back in the seat where he'd been before. On the way back to the apartments, Gabriel told Dean everything that Cas had dealt with this past year. Everything. Dean just listened. The poor guy had a lot to get off his chest, and from what he could understand, their home-life was pretty screwed to hell.

It's funny how much you can learn about a guy. Dean looked back at Cas, al stitched up and gauze wrapped in the backseat and felt a tug at his heart strings, The kid had been through a lot, and it Dean, after knowing him for only a few days, knew that he didn't deserve it.

**Castiel**:

He jolted awake, and sat up abruptly up.

"Dean." He said underneath his breath.

"Close, but no cigar," Came a voice from across the room. Gabriel. He was home again, slumped up on Gabe's ratty old yard-sale couch.

"You sure can take a pounding, little bro," He commented. Cas went to stand up, and Gabe went to stop him.

"Probably not a good idea yet, I'm taking it you're still earning you sea legs." He said.

Cas fell back again on the couch. Gabriel was right. His head was spinning and the entirety of his body was enveloped in a dull ache. He reached up one hand to touch his face, wincing dramatically. There was a jagged row of stitches climbing up his cheekbone. He hoped that it wouldn't scar, but it probably would. He could still feel the studded edge of Meg's shoe as it rammed mercilessly into him. Oh well, better him then Sam, Cas reasoned.

Gabe strutted over to the couch and sat at the other end. "You want to tell me exactly what happened?"

Cas shook his head in response.

"To bad," said Gabriel in reply, "Get talking."

Castiel paused and looked down at his hands. He hadn't noticed, but one of them was in a makeshift splint. Bobby (he believed that was the name) had put it there. The other was completely unscathed. He locked his fingers together and twiddled his thumbs. Honestly, it was mostly just to avoid his brother's question. He still didn't want to answer.

"Come on, Cassie," Gabriel pried, "I'm trying to be the responsible one here. One of us ought to give it a try"

"I wouldn't say you're doing a very good job at it." Cas remarked underneath his breath.

"Come on, sugar loaf, spill the beans." Gabriel said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"Yeah, responsible…You're not going to tell dad are you?" Cas asked reluctantly.

"I'm not _that_ stupid Cas. Give me a little credit" He replied. "Seriously though, you need to talk, or I might." Cas knew that his brother was bluffing, he didn't want to talk to their father anymore than Cas did. It didn't really matter though, he could see that Gabe was trying.

"A couple of kid's went to beat up Sam, I stepped in, and there were a couple more of them than I expected." Cas said, "It's not a big deal."

"I'm going to ignore that last bit." Gabriel said, motioning to the plethora of violet bruises blooming over the edge of the splint. "How many more of them were there?"

"Six, maybe seven more than I though." Cas said.

Gabriel looked impressed. "Damn, kid. Nick would be proud." He said, nodding to himself. "dad maybe not so much, but _seven guys_," Gabriel put emphasis on the number, "he might be."

"Six or seven," Cas corrected, under his breath, "And I hardly think that Dad would be proud."

Gabe shrugged. "Eh, shut up, you and Luci were always the favorites, and you know it." Cas began to cut him off, but he changed the subject. "What's for dinner?"

"I think I'd just like to sleep for a while, If that's okay," Cas said, standing up on shaky legs.

"Sure thing, little bro, I'm gonna have skittles." Gabriel said, walking over to the massive bowl he had left on the table and grabbing a spoon. Cas wrinkled his nose in disgust. It was a wonder his brother had any teeth left at all anymore. Castiel thought back to the countless dentist visits the endured as kids, and he almost smiled.

He slumped down on his bed and let out a sharp exhale when he felt the pressure on his ribs underneath the gauze. Damn.

**Dean:**

As with pretty much everything else bad that happened to people around him, Dean blamed himself for the whole thing with Cas. It didn't help to know that it was the same as things had been at his old school. Dean knew the rumor, and he knew that it was a catholic school, but honestly, who the hell cared? Who cared if the kid was gay? Dean wasn't going to say if he was one hundred per cent straight either. The difference was, whereas Cas wouldn't hurt a fly, Dean (who was either bisexual, or just plain sexual) would bash your face in for that kind of bullshit.

Bobby and Sam could tell that something was up with Dean, and suggested that over the weekend, they go check in on the guy, see how he was doing. Dean just nodded, saying that he'd head over Saturday, or maybe on the way to school.

Sam said that they could make him some soup, since Cas hated candy, and that was all Gabe ate. That made Dean think. His mom had always made soup when him or Sammy had been sick, and sang them Beatles songs until they felt better.

Maybe the soup wasn't the best idea, Dean didn't even know if Cas liked soup, but he was pretty sure he had an old Beatles tape in the car with a couple of odd songs left on it. Yeah, Dean liked that. Good music was the cure to anything.

Once he found the cassette he pulled it from its plastic casing. Along with the music, he wrote Cas a note on a folded up piece of stationary Bobby had left laying around, before stuffing both the letter and tape back into the thick plastic package.

**Castiel:**

He decided not to go to school the next day, but was awakened by a knock on the door anyway, right on time. Cas ran his hands through his behead, which did little to nothing to tame it whatsoever, and scuffled to the door in his pajamas. Dean was standing there, and he could feel his cheeks turn red as he became suddenly self-conscious. He didn't particularly want for Dean to see him in his pajamas, but oh well, we don't always get what you want.

"Hey," Cas said sleepily, "I'm staying home today, sorry, "And went to close the door.

"Wait," Dean said, jamming the toe of his boot in the door. "I brought this," he said, sticking a cassette tape through the door. "I don't really know what type of music you're into, so I brought the Beatles. I figured you might need a bit of entertainment."

"Thanks Dean," Cas said with a yawn, "I love the Beatles."

He remembered their time at Bobby's house, Dean's fingers intertwined nervously with his, the song "I want to hold your hand" Playing on loop in the back of his mind for the entire time. Yeah, he really did love the Beatles, but not always just for the music.

Dean smiled, "Great, man. I've got to go, see you around."

"Yeah," Cas said, "See you."

He walked back to his room, grabbing a walkman off of his dresser, slipping the headphones over his ears as he watched the Impala pull away from the window. When he pulled the cassette from its case, a small slip of folded paper fell out. Castiel raised one eyebrow and bent over to pick it up. As he unfolded it, he could see the pencil writing scrawled messily along the top.

"Cas," It read. He continued.

"I'm sorry that you had such a shitty first week at school. It was my fault. I should have kept an eye on Sammy, that's my job as his brother. That's not what this letter is for though. I know you've had it rough Cas, but it gets better. That's why I gave you a Beatles cassette, instead of any of my other music. When I was a kid, my mom would sing these to me. These songs are all I have left of her now. When I hear them, I try to remember all of the good things, like her, and not losing them.

You need them more than I do right now, ad to be fair, it is damn good music. Gabriel told me what went down at your old school, and yeah, I heard the rumor. Just so you know, I don't give a shit what those sons of bitches say about you, or whether or not it's true. What matters is that I have your back no matter what, because as far as I'm concerned, you're family now.

Also, this weekend, once you're up and running, you're going to help me clean my upholstery, it's covered in Cas juice, and that's nasty."

Cas folded the note carefully back up again, and set it gently in his pocket. He pressed play on the walkman, and smiled at the first song began to play. "I Want to Hold Your Hand." He closed his eyes while he listened, and let himself get lost in the rhythm.


	6. Chapter 6

**Dean:**

He waited for Cas to come back to school, even going as far as to check up on him each morning. It became somewhat routine, actually. The first couple of days Gabe was the one to open the door, and Dean could feel his heart sink each time. Still, the apartment number gave him a laugh Cas heard him though, he could tell by the way the house went quiet every time he came by, it was a measured silence. Eventually, Cas answered. When he did, though, Dean was surprised to see just how beat up he was. He didn't heal very pretty, that was for sure. Dean didn't care. He was glad the kid was healing at all.

**Castiel:**

It took him the whole of five days to work up the nerve to go back to school again. Cas knew that he would much rather just stay at home with Gabe. After all, Gabriel was home pretty much all the time, because he didn't really seem to have a job. When Cas asked what he did for a living, Gabe just answered, "internet scams, usually Craigslist" and left it at that. Seemed simple enough.

Still, Cas missed seeing Dean and his other friends, though it was mostly Dean he missed. Every morning he would show up at their apartment without fail, bright and early. On the fifth morning, after a night's worth of contemplation, and a morning's worth of white-knuckled hand wringing, he finally decided to go.

Sam smiled passively from the back seat, and waved distractedly at Cas as he stepped in. It didn't seem as if much had really changed, but he sure as hell was more anxious about school than he had been the first day, and with good reason. Nonetheless, Dean seemed fairly enthused that morning to have Cas with them, and Sam did too. It didn't take them long to realize that Cas felt differently though. Dean was the first to speak up.

"You nervous?" He asked, a note of playfulness sneaking into his voice. Still, his question was serious, so Cas felt compelled to reply.

"What if Alaistair does something this time?" He said, "You might not be there to stop him this time."

"Well," Dean said with a slight laugh, "He certainly won't be saying anything, that's for sure. I broke that little bastards jaw two days ago, and I'd be happy to break the rest of him at a moment's notice." Cs raised his eyebrows. Damn.

"What about Ruby or Meg?" Cas said.

"I'm not gonna hit a girl, but I still don't think they'll be much of a problem, I'm assuming they took the hint from Alastair." He laughed again, "Not that he'll be telling them himself, assume the reconstructive jaw wiring would be a bit of an obstacle." Cas smiled. He was glad to have Dean looking out for him.

The rest of the drive was a blur of rock music, Sam's complaints about said rock-music, and then louder rock music. Finally, once, they'd actually made it into the school, Cas was in a much better mood than he was prior. This changed the second he walked into the doors. The walls were coated with layer upon layer of construction paper heart's, and poster's for a school wide dance. His heart sunk to his knees; Valentine's Day.

Dean plucked one heart from the wall and clasped it dramatically to his chest. "Love is in the air, eh Cas?" he said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Cas face blushed a deep red as his mouth set into an expression of bitter contempt.

"Not so much?" Dean asked.

"That would be an understatement."

Cas pictured Dean, some wispy blond slung over one shoulder of his leather coat and cringed. The thought was enough to make him gag. No, Cas thought, he didn't mind Valentine's day, but he reviled the thought of spending it alone once again. He glanced over to Dean again, catching his eye accidentally. Dean smiled a crooked smile in his direction, the skin around his wide green eyes crinkled.

Sam rolled his eyes and walked off to his first class.

Cas went through his classes as best as he could that day, which wasn't saying much. He couldn't focus on a damn thing, not with little cupid hung up on each and every wall as a grim reminder of his shortcomings.

It wasn't until lunch that Cas finally loosened up a bit. He sat by Charlie, who winced knowingly at the stitches on his face, giving him a sympathetic pat on the back. He nodded in reply, and she went back to her conversation.

Moments later, Dean barged in, holding in his hands a single piece of clean white paper, which he held proudly in front of him.

"Which of you fine-ass honeys would like to attend this year's….. um," He paused to read over the flier, "Valentine's thingy, with your very own Dean Winchester."

Sam rolled his eyes and glanced over at Jess, who was laughing into her hands shyly.

Charlie was the first to reply, "Spoken for," She said, before holding up Dorothy's hand in a proud display. Dorothy smiled warmly over at her.

"Alright… who _else_? Don't tell me there's a single one of you who wouldn't die to get a piece of _this_." He motioned up to his face, and then to a different, slightly less savory area. More people rolled their eyes this time.

Jo interjected, "When's Valentine's anyhow?" Dean shot her a glace and Cas' heart sunk. She was pretty damn close to the wispy blonde he'd been picturing earlier, and he figured she was an easy pick for him.

_Day after tomorrow _He thought to himself, _Valentine's is this Friday._

He caught Dean's eyes one more time before mumbling some lame excuse and scuttling off to eat lunch alone, though he didn't feel quite so hungry anymore. He could feel Dean's eyes burning into the back of his head and decided that Day, he'd walk home.

**Dean**:

The second that Cas left, Jo was all smiles and flirtation. Dean played along. Along the way she slipped in the fact that she didn't have a date, and that Dean was welcome to fill that position. He could take a hint, and the two were paired by the end of lunchtime. They were friends though. Just friends. Dean would be sure to emphasize it. He hoped Cas could figure that out.

If Jo hadn't so readily thrown herself at him, Dean would have asked Cas that lunch, but by that point, he was pretty sure that the date was set. He wasn't necessarily complaining, Jo was one hell of a girl. She was kind, tough as nails, and her big brown eyes could have made any other boy melt.

He liked Jo, just not in the way he should have. It was just one dance though, Cas would live. A guy like that'd have dates lined up around the block by the end of the day, he knew it. For some reason, the thought made him flustered, so he avoided it.

He could tell that Sam would be asking Jessica. Those two lovebirds had been ogling each other ever since they set foot at this school. Also, there was Charlie and Dorothy, cutest couple of the century. Even Garth had a date, for Christ's sake.

His mind wandered again to Cas. It had been doing that more and more as of late, and Dean had to admit, the kid was a quite the looker. Now, his disposition was a tad beyond awkward, but it was part of his charm, and underneath it all, there was an underlying sense of kindness. Dean could respect that, you didn't find it in many people. He certainly didn't see it in himself.

When he thought of Cas now, he was finding t harder to banish the blush from his freckled cheeks, no matter how straight he played it.

**Castiel: **

He began his walk home that day with a frown on his face. The air seemed somehow colder than it had that morning, and it stung on his cheeks. Cas could feel them pinken in the bitter wind. He decided to take a route a couple of blocks out of his usual way, so that he wouldn't have to deal with Dean catching up to him. He wished that he'd picked a warmer day to walk though. It was pretty damn frigid.

He got closer to home, and spotted a field of yellow faced daisies. Their petals were fresh, though out of season. Castiel stopped to sniff one. With the wind nipping at his bruised nose, he could hardly smell a thing. The aroma he did manage to pick up was soft, but sweet. He held one beneath his fingers, braiding the stalk cautiously around his battered knuckles in a figure eight until the petals bean to droop. He wished sometime somebody would get him flowers. That would be nice. Maybe even this Valentine's. Probably not. Even if somebody did, he'd only wish they were Dean.

To be perfectly honest, Cas wanted (spitefully so) for Dean and Jo to end it as soon as they realized Cas was obviously dean's ideal Valentine. It wasn't that he didn't like Jo. He saw her appeal. She was beautiful, and had a hell of a lot more in common with Dean than Castiel did. Cas didn't care, though.

**Dean: **

As he drove along the road home, he thought about Cas. The little guy hadn't shown up for his ride today, and even though Dean had no reason to think that anything had happened, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to. Plus, it was pretty damn cold, the little guy would freeze his dick off.

He passed another car. It was beat up, a rusted out, maroon old thing. Nasty looking. He recognized it; Alastair's car. There was nobody inside.

"For fuck's sake, Cas," Dean said, "Any other day you could've walked home. You had to pick today, didn't you." He sped up his car, worry furrowing his brow.

**Castiel: **

Castiel shivered and goose bumps erupted over his forearms and the back of his neck. He tugged up the collar of his trench and walked faster. Gravel crunched from the lot beside him, and his head snapped around to face the noise. He saw a familiar face, the last he would have wanted to see, and felt his blood turn to the consistency of roadside slush. He clenched his jaw.

Alastair strutted across the lot, his car keys clenched between his fingers like a set of makeshift iron knuckles. Castiel gulped. He could feel his hands begin to shake. Damn, he should have taken the ride home with Dean. Today was a ray of fucking sunshine. There as one upside, though. He wasn't surrounded this time. It was just one on one. He was alone too this round, though; no Dean to save his sorry ass this time.

"Please, Alastair, please don't…" Cas said exasperatedly. Alastair quickened his pace then, all the while intensifying his glare.

Alastair shook his head in mock sympathy. Who did he think he was?

Something snapped in him then. Maybe it was just a rough day, maybe it was just adrenaline, but whatever it was, Cas saw red then. He cracked his scabbed up knuckles. Alright, if Alastair wanted a fight, he'd have one. Hell, if he was going down this time, he wouldn't make it easy.

"Hello Alastair," He said, trying to mask the quiver in his voice. He did well, and his voice was as smooth as fresh paved pavement.

Alastair, mouthy as he had been previously (well, a better word might have been gloating, or maybe megalomaniacal) stayed dead silent. It was pretty unsettling. Then he remembered. Just that day Dean had told him. He'd busted Alastair's Jaw, and he'd done it for Cas. Castiel could feel a surge of lightning ripple through his veins.

Alastair put one finger up, pointing it straight as the shaft of an arrow. He motioned to himself, then to Cas, then down.

_Me and you, here, now, _he seemed to be saying. Cas kept a straight face, careful not to let a single sliver of emotion escape from his stony facade.

Castiel walked confidently up to Alastair, swagger in his stride (though there was a bit of a limp there too, admittedly.) Alastair smiled.

Just then the impala pulled into the lot, and a pissed-as-hell Dean Winchester slid out the side door. Before he could take a step closer, Cas spoke.

"Hold it Dean," He said. His voice cracked a bit as he said it, but he didn't particularly care. Afraid or not, his intent was clear. This wasn't Dean's fight.

"Cas…" Dean said. Cas shot him a glance, and Dean stood back, still poised to attack when and if it was necessary.

Cas leaned in to Alatair. He was so close he could feel the heat of Alastair's breath permeate the air.

"Listen, I'll bring him in another time, and he'll kick your ass again," Cas said, motioning quickly to dean with a the back side of his hands, "But right now… you're my little bitch."

Alastair's brace was clenched tightly over his teeth, keeping his jaw in a dog-like muzzle. It gleamed silver as a smile began to spread upon his battered face. Cas swung then, just as the smile crept onto his face, watching it drop the second his fist slammed into his already misshapen jaw line. Cas could feel the cold metal rods slash into the meat of his palm. He winced against the pain, but struck again quickly.

Alastair crumpled onto the gravel, head propped against a bushel of daisies. Cas hadn't hurt him enough to cause permanent damage, but he'd certainly proved his point. He turned to Dean.

_Who's the damsel in distress now, Winchester?_ He thought to himself.

"Cas!" Dean said, pointing desperately.

Cas swirled around, just in time to see Alastair scraping himself off the pavement, knife in hand. Cas swung out one foot, knocking the knife across the pavement, towards Dean. Alastair looked up at Cas.

"Did I stutter, bitch," Cas said, "Get the hell out of here."

"You heard him," Dean said, obviously impressed.

Alastair obliged, and left quick.

"Hey, Badass?" Dean said.

"Yes, Dean?" Cas asked in reply.

"Don't ever change," He replied. Cas grinned.

**Dean:**

On the drive back to Gabe's house, their conversation was lighthearted and friendly. Dean had been caught off guard. Cas was kind of epic. That night, they went to Bobby's, so Cas could get his fingers re-stitched after the fight. Turns out, one of Bobby's neighbors had dropped off a pie that afternoon, and they all ate too much. It actually turned out to be a pretty good time, minus the second set of stitches, of course.

Partway through, Cas asked about their dad. Dean, being bit more tipsy than usual, actually answered.

"Where's your Dad, anyway, Dean?" Cas asked. It was an innocent question, but Dean could see immediately the regret on his face once he asked.

"Dealing something or other, not sure what drug this time, but whatever it is, must be pretty damn good for him to ditch us like he did." He said.

"I'm sorry, I…" Cas answered.

"Don't be. Second he heard we were with Bobby, he stopped calling. Figure we won't be seeing much more of him anytime soon," He said. Dean took a drink from Bobby's beer, and Bobby made no move to stop him, just shot him a worried glance, "Might not see him ever. Good riddance."

"You mean it Dean?" Sam said cautiously. His brother shrugged in response. Sam didn't look sad, and Cas felt a pang in his heart.

"Anyone for more pie?" Dean said, redirecting the conversation. Bobby caught his drift, bringing out the tin of cherry one last time.

"Knock yourself out, boys." He said.

The rest of the night, Dean avoided the topic, switching the mood to a lighter one, and soon they forgot the exchange all together. Cas saw through it, Dean knew that, but he pretended not to. The rest of the night went off without a hitch. They ate, drank, and were merry. About damn time, too.

**Castiel:**

He envied Jo so desperately, Cas couldn't stand it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sam: **

Sam rolled his eyes in exasperation, glancing briefly over into the next room, where Dean and Cas finished off the last of Bobby's cherry pie. He couldn't stand it; the pie, the bad jokes, the _staring_. Of all of this, the staring was the worst. Mostly because it never _fucking _stopped. The whole- soul searching, love sick, and of course, _purely_ platonic, side eyes thing was getting old fast. Not even Bobby was immune, or Jess, Garth, Kevin, Dorothy, and especially not Charlie. That girl had one hell of a gay-dar. Charlie had literally made a chart depicting just how gay they were for each other, then turned it in for extra credit. It seemed at this point, the general consensus was that if they didn't get together soon, an arranged marriage was in order. At least then, the staring might stop.

_Puppy love,_ Sam thought with a sigh. It was enough to make a man spit up his lunch.


	8. Chapter 8

**Castiel:**

When he got home, Cas sat at the edge of his bed, recounting the whole experience. In his hands he clasped the Beatles cassette. He'd have to be giving it back soon. Dean had given it t0o him so that he would feel better, and Dean had done an alright job getting the job done himself. He pulled the letter out of the plastic casing. He read over it again, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks as his eyes coasted over Dean's messy scrawl.

The letter was too kind. Cas couldn't stand it. It made him feel fuzzy inside, like he'd swallowed a cup of snow, or been punched. The feeling could be described as butterflies in his stomach, but he knew what it was. It was love. He hated to think of it as such, considering dean seemed to be pretty much the most machismo, hard assed straight guy Cas had ever met. A guy could hope, though. He folded the letter carefully, like a scientist handling a precious specimen and set it gently on his windowsill.

_Maybe, _Castiel thought, _maybe he'd write one back._

Valentine 's Day was tomorrow, after all. The thought of writing to Dean made Castiel's knees shake. He was a nervous guy, that much was obvious, but he hadn't been this nervous in ages. It was apparent that Gabe had told Dean the whole story of how things had ended at his old school, and Cas didn't want to approach Dean in any way that would scare him off. He was the best friend that Cas had ever had, and that wasn't worth nothing. Cas needed him. Dean deserved to know that.

Cas grabbed a dull number two pencil off of his nightstand, summoned his courage, and got to writing.

"Dear Dean," He began.

Once he had finished the letter, his hands were shaking and his eyes stung. Castiel was tired. When had he last gotten a full eight hours? He couldn't say that he remembered for sure, but it had been far too long, that much was certain. He pulled Gabriel's scratchy quilt over his shoulders and put the cassette tape in the player.

_Might as well give it one more listen, _He thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep.

He woke up the following morning ensnared in the wires of his headphones. He didn't move, listening to the melody of, "Hey Jude," blaring softly from the pillow beside him. It was early. The sun had just begun to snake above the horizon, and its cold silver rays fell over his shoulders like a silver veil. He groaned. It was _really_ early. Out of the corner of his eye he saw it, the letter he had written last night to Dean, A thought exploded into his mind, he has an Idea. It was risky, but maybe worth a try. _Why the hell not, _he reasoned_. _

He walked swiftly over to Gabe's room and rapped on the door.

"What?" Gabriel repied.

"I need to borrow money, for Valentines."

"Ugh. That. Give me a minute."

A moment passed and a white envelope slid under the door.

"To my queer little angel." Gabriel said, sleep slurring his speech.

"Thank you Gabriel," Cas said with an exasperated sigh.

"It's nothin' baby bro, go and get some."

"Mhm…" Cas replied.

He opened up the envelope, raising his eyebrow when he saw what it contained. Packed inside were thirty or so one dollar bills, crumpled and frayed beyond belief.

"Why do you have so many one's?" Cas asked.

"Don't ask stupid questions," Gabriel responded with a vague laugh.

"Christ," Cas whispered under his breath. Why was he still surprised.

Cas walked out of apartment sixty nine, across the vacant lot, and down the street, the cold air nipping at his cheeks, leaving them pink and raw. He tucked his hands into the cuffs of his shirt to keep them warm. The corner store was only three blocks away, but by the time he got there, Castiel could scarcely feel his ears. The door opened with a soft chime as the bell over the door sounded his arrival. Just as everything else had been recently, the store was decorated from head to toe with a flurry of candy, chocolate, heart shaped cutouts, and pungent flowers. Cas wrinkled his nose. Romance wasn't necessarily his forte, and had the circumstances been different, he would have called Dean for advice. God knows just how well that would have worked out for him. On second thought, maybe there _was_ someone he could call.

Cas opened up his phone and scrolled down his contacts. Given that there were like six of them total, so it really didn't take very long to do so. He stopped at Gabriel and just as he went to press the green call button, something caught his eye. He had a new message.

The message was from Dean. Cas opened it with shaky fingers, thinking the worst.

"Hey Cas, can you take Sammy to the dance tonight, I've got a date. ;)" It read. Cas sighed. _Not that I had much else planned, _He thought dismally.

"Sure." He replied plainly.

The inside of the convenience store was warm, and Cas didn't have to be home for another thirty minutes, so he wandered the isles looking for nothing in particular. There were numerous copies of pornographic magazines lining one wall, and festive teddy bears lining the others. Very romantic. Then he saw it. A single perfect rose; red and pristine as a single drop of blood on fresh snow. He wanted it, but not for himself. The stalk felt cool and smooth on the meat of his shredded palm and he exhaled. No thorns.

The rose was six dollars. Cas grabbed a bag of cheap lollipops for Gabe on the way to the register, to repay him for the money. When he walked up to the counter, the cashier looked up tiredly at him. He was a man in his fifties at least, with crooked teeth and a serious case of neck beard. Castiel smiled at him regardless.

"Who's the lucky lady," the man probed. His words sent a sour puff of morning breath in Cas' direction.

"Nobody," Cas said, his eyes falling to the floor. He could feel a wave of heat rise to his face and the man behind the counter grinned.

"Sure thing kid…nobody," He said with a knowing smile. Cas kept a stony expression and nodded, taking is change and walking back into the cold air. He stowed the rose in the pocket of his coat. Such a delicate thing it was without its thorns. Cas wouldn't want it to wilt in the wind.

By the time he got home, his hands felt and looked like a pair of cheap cherry popsicles, but he hardly noticed. He stuffed the rose into an empty takeaway container before placing it into his backpack. Just a moment later, the doorbell rang and Cas head snapped around at the speed of sound. Looked like his ride was here.

Dean stood at the door, looking expecially exhausted. Still his childlike grin was unmistakable.

"On a day like this, a guy can really come to appreciate your apartment number," He said with a wink. Cas rolled his eyes.

When he went to the car, he was surprised to see what sat in the back seat, or rather, what didn't. The seat was clean of all Sam's textbooks, and in their place sat Jess, rosy cheeked and golden haired, wearing a smile that could have melted the ice caps all on its own.

"Good morning, Sam, Jessica." He said cordially.

"Morning Cas," She replied.

He looked down for a moment and could see that their hands had intertwined. Jelousy flared in the pit of his abdomen, and Cas felt pitifully alone. He furrowed his brows in frustration. Everyone had someone, it seemed.

As if on cue, Dean ducked below the framing and into the front seat, "Look at you lovebirds. Keep it PG, alright? Just cleaned my upholstery." Jess giggled into her hands and Sam flashed his brother a glare.

"Got to love Valentine's, eh Cas?" Said Dean lightheartedly.

Cas flashed the most staged, wooden smile he possibly could have. Dean laughed, "That's the spirit," He said, slapping Cas arm affectionately.

They pulled up to the curb and a knot formed in his stomach. The kids were paired off like a rack full of department store socks. The entire courtyard was a flurry of nervous hugs, paper hearts, and shameless PDA. Cas gazed down at the seat beside his backpack. Dean's hand lay carelessly on the cracked leather. His fingers were long and his nails rough. They were fantastic hands, soft and rugged, all at the same time. Cas wanted nothing more than to hold them, but he knew that the chances of that happening were slim. They unpacked the car, Dean watched proudly as Sam and Jess made their way inside together.

In the cold winter sun he saw a flash of gold bobbing in there direction. Jo. He tried so hard to like her, h really did, but no matter how hard he tried, he could never see her as more than an obstacle. He knew that he should have felt guilty for it, but he really didn't. He might have if he wasn't right. Still, she was kind, she was beautiful, and really damn enviable.

They were halfway inside when an idea sparked in the back of Cas' mind. "Hey, I left something in the front seat, mind if I run and get it?"

"Sure thing, man." Dean tossed Cas the keys and he made his way over on shaky legs.

Once he'd unlocked the passenger door his hands fumbled for the container inside of his bag. When he opened it, he sighed in relief. The rose was still perfect as ever, its scarlet petals soft and entirely unscathed from that mornings commute. Cas placed it on the dashboard, then the Beatles cassette, just for good measure. Before he could think twice about what he'd done, he locked the door and walked swiftly back to the front of the school handing Dean back the keys.

It looked like he'd be walking home that day.

**Castiel: (later that evening)**

Cas pulled on his tie hastily, making sure it was perfectly straight, but no matter how hard he tried, it always ended up backwards, sideways, or some other discombobulated shape.

"Going out like _that_, little brother?" Gabe said from the hallway.

"Whats wrong?" Cas asked.

"The tie, it's not working for you. Try blue."

"I don't have blue." Cas said with a sigh.

"I do." Gabriel remarked.

"Since when do you own a tie?"

"Since ladies got into a sharp dressed man."

"You're unbelievable, Gabriel."

"Damn right I am."

Cas just shook his head. Genetically, he was pretty sure that Gabriel was the only member of the family to have missed the gene putting a stick up their ass. _That _was unbelievable.

Ten minutes later, Cas drove over to Bobby's to pick up Sam. When he got there, Sam was not alone. Jess stood there, wearing a soft lace dress the color of cream, threaded with seams of gold. Her fingernails had been filed into perfect metallic ovals, and in the light, they glinted like fire. She really was beautiful, so much so, it almost would have turned _Cas _straight. Sam, on the other hand looked virtually the same. His floppy brown hair had been parted and slicked back lightly, and he wore a dark green tie. He looked good too. Together, the two of them made one hell of a pair.

Cas managed to herd them into the backseat of Gabriel's pimp car without much of a fuss. He tried not to wince when he saw their hands clasped together. It reminded him just a bit too much of after the fight, Dean holding his hand as Bobby stitched him up like a ragdoll. It took all he could muster not to envision those perfect hands holding someone else, but it was a reality he had to face.

**Dean:**

He had a date that night, and he had to admit, he looked damn good. Earlier that day, he'd made Cas promise to take Sam to the dance, so that he could have time to get ready, and so Sam could have more time to spend with Jess. She was a doll, he had to admit. He knew Sam would treat her right. He really was a good kid, even though he was hardly half her height. Dean didn't mind being the tall one, though, and the way things were shaping up, he always would be.

He made Sammy tie his tie, and then sent him on his way. The tie was deep burgundy, contrasting sharply with the stark white of his dress shirt and black sports coat. He did his own hair though. God knew he wouldn't let Sammy lay a finger on it. The kid had hair like an overgrown puppy that'd pissed off their hairdresser, or at least he thought so. Sam liked his hair long. Dean didn't. For the occasion, he parted it neatly to the side, forties style. He took one last look in the mirror, straightening his tie with shaking fingers.

_Damn, _He thought to himself, _I look good._

**Castiel: **

As they drove, they passed a small vacant lot. Just like all the others, perfect white daisies grew from the faults in the hard packed gravel. God only new why though. Virtually nothing grew around that time of the year, and flowers seemed completely out of the question. Castiel would have liked flowers for Valentine's, even a scruffy old dandelion would have done the trick. He thought then of the single perfect rose, splayed on the polished leather of Dean's dashboard. It was a lot to think about, and the thought made his stomach churn. Had he found it yet? Of course he had. He looked over at his phone, careful to take his eyes of the road for only a split second. There were no new messages. No missed calls. Nothing.

Once they pulled up to the Dance Sam and Jess rushed eagerly inside. They sure seemed chipper. Cas was less so, dragging his feet as he approached the pulsing music radiating from inside of the building. He could feel a hot prickle begin to burn at the rims of his eyes. He knew they were tears, but they weren't worth his time, so he fought against them. After all, he was here for Sam, and that was what mattered.

As he walked in, the heat flooded his senses. Everyone was dancing, they swung to the beat of a fast, incomprehensible tune, and Cas just sighed. Who was he kidding; Sam didn't actually need him here. He just needed a ride. Castiel knew it was a good time to leave, so he made his way through the crowd, feeling crestfallen to say the least. As he approached the door, he could feel the rhythm slow. Castiel hated the fact that he recognized the song.

"Blackbird," By the Beatles.

He thought of Dean, green eyed, freckle-faced dean Winchester, so easy to a smile and so damn hard to get out of his head. A solemn tear slid down his face, followed by another, and after a moment, he couldn't control himself. His eyes ached and his voice hiccupped and he felt so fucking alone he couldn't stand it. He knew that people were staring. Why were they always staring. Cas supposed he would be too, seeing such a hot goddamn mess.

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Cas, don't be like that," They said softly, "I'm not worth the trouble." Dean helped pull him to his feet, but Cas still didn't look up. He buried his head in his hands and felt them grow slick with tears.

**Dean:**

Dean held Cas there for a moment, humming along to the tune of the Beatles song. He thought back to the note Cas had left inside of his cassette tape.

"Dean,

Since you wrote me such a nice letter to go with the Beatles cassette, I figured I'd return the favor when I gave it back. You gave it to me to help me feel better. Thank you for that, it really did help. You were right, but I don't need it anymore. You make me feel better just fine on your own. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be able to recognize every single one of the rock songs you play, no matter how much Sam hates them, I wouldn't know how to tell what makes a good pie (all of them), and I wouldn't have been able to beat the living crap out of Alastair. If you weren't there, I don't' think I would have had the courage to swing, but I did, because I knew you had my back. Thanks for that by the way, having my back. It means a lot to me, more than you know. No one's ever had my back like that before. Not my brothers, my Mom, and sure as hell not my Dad. Ever since I was a kid I've never really had friends. To be perfectly honest, I never really understood the point of them. Thank you for being my friend. I never really knew how much I needed one until now.

Also, I hope the rose doesn't fuck this all up, that really wasn't my intention.

Love (yes, you heard me right) Cas."

Cas pulled away from Dean suddenly, and beneath his grip dean could feel Cas' stature go rigid.

"I thought you had a date," Cas said, his voice cracked and cautious.

"I do," Dean said.

"So where are they? I don't think you want them getting any ideas about _us_," Cas said coldly.

"I don't think they'd mind." Dean replied.

Cas scoffed and wiped a tear off of his cheek. "And why not?"

"It's you, dumbass," Dean said with a laugh, "You're my date."

"Not funny," Cas said abruptly.

"Not joking."

**Castiel;**

"I couldn't afford roses…" Dean said sheepishly, pulling a single daisy from behind his back. " But I figured this was better then nothing."

"I don't get it…" Cas said, grasping the stem of the flower cautiously, as though I would evaporate from between his fingertips at any given moment. Before he could finish Dean cupped his hands around the curve of Cas' face, pulling it up towards him and planting a delicate kiss just below his hairline.

"I think I've made my point pretty clear, Castiel" He said, with a smile.

"I'd say so…" Cas said, looking up into the clear green of Dean's eyes.

"Hey, Cas?"

"What?"

"Don't ever change."


End file.
